Dispenser for medicinal and other powders



. Dec. 23," 1952 .D.-H'.-IBRQOKS DISPENSER FOR MEDICINAL AND OTHER POWDERS Filed March 28, 1950 HGY FTGIH FKYTQRNEY H- BROOKE N ENTQR DONALD Patented Dec. 23, 1952 DISPENSER FOR MEDICINAL AND OTHER POWDERS Donald Herbert Brooks, Johannesburg, Transvaal, Union of South Africa Application March 28, 1950, Serial No. 152,313 In the Union of South Africa April 16, 1949 8 Claims.

This invention relates to portable containers and dispensers of medicinal powders and is particularly suitable for the inhaling of snuff.

Fine powders, such as snuff, are usually inhaled from a pinch presented to each nostril in turn. This is somewhat unsatisfactory and wasteful as the snuff often enters the nostril in compacted lumps or relatively large grains which are in haled with the finer and desired particles.

The object of this invention is to provide a portable and convenient form of dispenser which will enable the amount of powder dispensed during inhaling to be controlled and will at the same time avoid waste.

In addition to snuff various medicinal powders are inhaled and the invention will be useful in such applications but for simplicity the powders will hereinafter be referred to as snufi.

The invention consists in the provision of a portable dispenser comprising a pair of telescoping tubes, the outer tube closed at the bottom to provide a container for the snufi", and the inner tube adapted to provide a controllable outlet for said snuff.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. I is a sectional elevation of the basic form of dispenser,

Fig. II is a similar view to Fig. I showing an alternative means for controlling the amount of powder dispensed,

Fig. III is a partial sectional side elevation of the preferred form of dispenser according to this invention on an enlarged scale,

Fig. IV is a plan on the line A-A, Fig. III, and Fig. V is a detail.

As shown in Fig. I there is provided a tubular container I closed at the lower end 2. An open ended tube 3 is fitted in the container I and is adapted to telescope therein. To prevent the tube 3 being fully withdrawn a suitable stop is provided. This conveniently takes the form of an annular beading 4 formed on the tube 3 which is adapted to bear against two or more inwardly bent portions 5 of the end of the container I and thus prevent the complete withdrawal of the tube 3. By this means tube 3 may be conveniently sprung into position in the container I.

The upper projecting end 6 of tube 3 is conically formed or rounded so that it may be conven iently entered into the opening of the nostril. On inhalation a stream of air will pass down between the portions 5 and through the annulus I between the tube 3 and container I and up the inside of tube 3 into the nostril. In so doing it will disturb and entrain some of the snuff 8. The lighter particles are carried by the air inhaled while the heavier particles are not lifted, or, if they are, will tend to be thrown out onto the sides of the tube 3 by the turbulence of the air stream and will eventually fall back onto the bulk of the snuff 8 in the bottom of the container I.

By adjusting the position of the lower end 9 of tube 3 relative to the upper surface ID of the snuff 8, the amount of snuff 8 inhaled may be roughly controlled. To provide a better control and reduce any loss of snufi" 8 due to it falling through tube 3 when the dispenser is inverted, tube 3 may be modified as shown in Fig. II.

In this case the bottom 9 of tube 3 is provided with a closure in the form of a disc I I which normally rests on and acts to compact the snuff 8 in the container I. The disc II has perforations I2 or is otherwise suitably shaped so that when pressed onto the upper surface of the snuff 8 and rotated if necessary, it will act to mill or scrape away a small portion of the snuff 8 which either remains in the perforations I2 or passes in a loose and friable form to the upper surface is of the disc II or lies loosely on the surface of the compacted snuff such that it is easily entrained in a stream of air passing through said disc.

The disc II is preferably attached to the lower end 9 of the tube 3 but, if desired, it may be detached from said tube 3. In the latter case the disc I I and end of the tube 3 are suitably shaped to mutually engage while providing a passage for air between them.

To provide a very accurate control of the amount of snuff 8 inhaled, the dispenser may be further modified as shown in Figs. III and IV without, however, departing from its essential simplicity according to this invention.

As shown in Figs. III and IV the tube 3 is replaced by a tube I4 having an axially fluted or corrugated contour. The tube I4 may be beaded outwardly and the container I bent inwardly at the top- 5 to prevent complete withdrawal of the tube I4 in a similar manner to that described above.

A stepped plug I5 surmounted on a thin disc III, as shown in Fig. V, is fitted into the bottom I! of tube I4. The step or shoulder I8 of plug I5 bears against the bottom II of tube I4 and so acts as a distance piece accurately positioning the disc I'B relative to the bottom II of said tube II. The disc IS and tube I4 are made as far as possible a sliding fit in the container I. The periphery I9 of the disc I6 is cut away slightly to provide indentations or flats 20 and on the bottom 2I of said disc I6 between the flats 20 there is a ridge 22.

For use the tube I together with the plug I5 and disc I5 is rotated causing the ridge 22 to scrape up some snuif 8 off the surface III of the body of the same. This snuff 8 passes between the flats 2i) and the container I onto the top 23 of the disc I6. On inhalation the air passes down channel 24 formed by the outwardly concave portion 25 of the inner tube I l entraining the snuff 8 on said disc. The air and entrained snuff 8 then passes upwardly between aperture 26 between the plug I5 and inwardly concave portions 27 of tube It and thence into the nostril. The

amount of snuff 8 drawn up is substantially independent of the strength of inhalation and is determined by the amount scraped onto the top 23 of the disc l6.

Due to the action of the disc H5 in compacting the snuff 8 the length of the dispenser may be reduced and there is also very little tendency for the snuff 8 to deteriorate due to evaporation of the aromatic bodies in the same. However, if desired, the dispenser may be made airtight and dust-tight by fitting a cap 28 over the container l to enclose the top of tube 14.

The container I may be made of transparent material so that the amount of snuff 8 available is visible, or the tube 14 may be graduated to show the degree to which it can be telescoped, which in turn is dependent on the amount of snufi 8 availablein the container I.

Generally the dispenser may be very economically made of light metal or plastic due to its simplicity and consequent ease of manufacture.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A portable dispenser for powders comprising a tubular container open at one end and forming a reservoir for powder in its opposite end, an open ended tube telescopically "fitting in said container and projecting therefrom, axial corrugations on the periphery of the tube, a plug in the inner end of the tube, passageways be tween the plug and corrugations on the tube, and a stop projecting outwardly from the tube and limiting its withdrawal from the container.

2. A portable dispenser for powders comprising a tubular container open at one end and forming a reservoir for powder in its opposite end, an open ended tube telescopically fitting in said container and projecting therefrom, axial corrugations on the periphery of the tube, a thin disc closely fitting the inside of the container and having cut away portions at its periphery, a ridge extending across the face of the disc opposite the tube, a distance piece secured to and between the inner end of the tube and the disc, a passageway through the inner end of the tube, and a stop limiting the withdrawal of the tube from the container.

3. A portable dispenser for powders comprising a tubular container open at one end and forming a reservoir for powder in its opposite end, an open ended tube telescopically fitting in said container and projecting therefrom, axial corrugations on the periphery of the tube, a thin disc closely fitting the inside of the container and having cut away portions at its periphery, a stepped plug surmounting the disc and having its upper portion fitting in the inner end of the tube with the step bearing against the bottom of the latter, passageways between the plug and corrugations on the tube, and a stop limiting the withdrawal of the tube from the container.

4. A portable dispenser for powders comprising a tubular container open at one end and forming a reservoir for powder in its opposite end, an open ended tube telescopically fitting in said container and projecting therefrom, axial corrugations on the periphery of the tube, a thin disc closely fitting the inside of the container and having cut away portions at its periphery, a stepped plug surmounting the disc and having its upper portion fitting in the inner end of the tube with the step bearing against the bottom of the latter, passageways between the plug and corrugations on the tube, a ridge extending across the face of the disc opposite the plug, and a stop limiting the withdrawal of the tube from the container.

5. A portable dispenser for powders comprising a tubular container open at one end and forming a reservoir for powder in its opposite end, an inwardly bent edge around the open end of the container, an open ended tube telescopically fitting in said container and projecting therefrom, axial corrugations on the periphery of the tube, a thin disc closely fitting the inside of the container and having cut away portions at its periphery, a stepped plug surmounting the disc and having its upper portion fitting in the inner end of the tube with the step bearing against the bottom of the latter, passageways between the plug and corrugations on the tube, and a ridge extending across the face of the disc opposite the plug.

6. A portable dispenser as claimed in claim 5 in which the container is provided with a cap enclosing the projecting end of the tube.

'7. A portable dispenser for powders, comprising a tubular container open at one end and forming a reservoir for powder in its opposite end, an open-ended tube telescopically fitting in said container and projecting therefrom, said container and tube having cooperating means for resisting complete separation of said tube and container, a plug disposed within the inner end of said tube, a disk carried by said plug below the tube and forming a surface for the reception of a quantity of powder from said container, said disk being cut away at portions of its periphery to provide passageways between the container and disk, and means carried on the disk for moving the surface powder in the container toward said passageways on rotation of the tube thereby to deposit said powder on the surface of the disk, said tube and plug having passageways between them communicating with said disk surface and the interior of the tube.

8. A portable dispenser for powders, comprising a tubular container open at one end and forming a reservoir for powder in its opposite end, an open-ended tube telescopically fitting in said container and projecting therefrom, said container and tube having co-operating means for resisting complete separation of said tube and container, a disk carried below the tube and forming a surface for the reception of a quantity of powder from said container, said disk being cut away at portions of its periphery to provide passageways between the container and disk, and means carried on the disk for moving the surface powder in the container toward said passageways on rotation of the tube thereby to deposit said powder on the surface of the disk, said tube and disk having passageways between them communicating with said disk surface and the interior of the tube.

DONALD HERBERT BROOKS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 223,793 Yates Jan. 20, 1880 1,122,257 Cramer Dec. 29, 1914 1,214,801 Links Feb. 6, 1917 2,456,451 Seaver Dec. 14, 1948 

